Luke 13:18 (ESV) He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
In the Gospels, Jesus gives many stories or parables of what the kingdom of God is like. The kingdom of God is the realm in which God rules, in which His will is done. The stories that Jesus tells about the kingdom are often designed to correct false ideas about the kingdom of God. Jesus spent so much time teaching about the kingdom because it was so important. Yet, his teaching on the kingdom is often neglected by many.
Luke 13:19 (ESV) It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, about the size of a grain of sand. Yet, when the seed sprouts and grows, the mustard plant or tree can grow up to nine feet tall. Big enough for birds to build their nests in its branches. What is Jesus’ point?
People tend to dismiss small things as not being very important. The kingdom is like very small seeds that get sown in many different places. The mustard seed may be words of witness or prayers prayed over an unsaved person. The mustard seed may be the tithe that you give to the Lord’s church. Whatever is done in Jesus’ name is like a mustard seed and often seems very small. But, Jesus says that it will grow very large and bring blessing to many.
Luke 13:20-21 (ESV) And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
To understand this story, we need to know that three measures of flour is about 50 pounds of flour, a very large account. The yeast or leaven that the woman mixed into the flour was a very small amount. Yet, the leaven spread through the entire amount of flour and produced bread. This story shows us that even though it seems the kingdom looks small, it can have great impact on all those around. The kingdom of God grows from very small to very large.
The great revival at Azusa Street in 1906 began with one man, Frank Bartleman interceding for revival to come to Los Angeles. The first meeting with William Seymour was with only 8 people when the power of the Holy Spirit fell. In the next three years, thousands were saved, healed and delivered in the most unbelievable supernatural ways. The impact of that small beginning, spread around the world with hundreds of millions of Spirit-baptized believers now in every country of the world.
Do not discount the kingdom power of one person or a small group or a small church calling out to God for the advance of the kingdom. Let these short stories of Jesus bring faith to your heart for where He has placed you. Do you feel like your gift from God is just like a small mustard seed or a little bit of leaven? Believe that when you offer your gifts to God, He will multiply them to bless many.